Territory



UNITED STATES Parar ernten.

W. WEBSTER, OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, VASHINGTON TERRITORY.

ATTACI-IIN G AND HOUSING PROPELLERS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 20,751, dated June 29, 1858.

T o all whom et may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WEBSTER, of

Jefferson county, in the Territory of fashington, have invented a new and Improved Mode of Attaching and Housing the Propellers of Vessels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a correct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical, central, longitudinal section of the after part of a vessel with my improvement-s; Fig. 2 is a similar section of the forward part of such a vessel; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on line 00, a2, of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an interior View of the after part of the ship.

The nature of my invention consists in the new Inode of hanging and housing propellers hereinafter more particularly described.

The first part of the invention relates to a modification of the hull of the vessel for the purpose of preparing it for the application of my improvements. The second part of my invention relates to the mode of connecting the propeller blades (where there is more than one pair) so that they can be placed at right angles to each other when at work, and in the same vertical plane when housed. And the third part of my invention relates to the mode of housing the propellers by slide ports of the shape required, which inclose them and convert the vessel at once into a sailing craft with unbroken hull forward and aft. These three parts are all necessary to the complete realization of the benefits of my invention, and should all be combined in vessels built with express reference to this system of construction; but my invention may be adapted, with good effect, to vessels already built, without such modification of the hull as I have herein indicated.

In the drawings the same part is indicated by the same letter of reference in all the figures.

A marks the exterior frame of the ship; B the forepeak; C, the run; D the after propeller blades or fins; D the forward propeller blades or lins; E the after propeller shaft; F the forward propeller shaft; G the after stern slide port; H forward stern slide port; I the forward or bow slide port; J the after trunk; J the forward trunk; K

1 the pipe connecting the propeller chamber with the ships pump well; M, M, &c. air

chambers; N chains attached to slide ports for hoist-ing and lowering` them from the dec'll; P, P, the trap hatches in the trunks l. The model of the hull which I prefer resembles that of the modern clipper ships, but is much finer, having more dead wood forward and aft as shown. The lower part of the fore peak B and run C is built solid inside. The simple forms of bow and stern shown in the drawings can be built at greatly diminished cost from those of the present clipper model. I place in the ends of the ship air chambers M, M, which give her bouyancy, and counterbalance the weight of her propellers, thus making her easy in a seaway, and giving her greater security against foundering when water logged.

2. lVhere two pair of propeller blades are used at right angles to each other, (see Fig. 1.) it becomes necessary in order to house them by my plan, to bring them both into the same vertical plane. In order to effec-t this, I place the after pair of blades on a short independent shaft L (Fig. l.) and clutch or unclutch it as required by any convenient mode. When in use, the two shafts are clutched at right angles; but when it is desired to house the propellers, the propeller shaft must be turned and held by a pawl to such a position as to bring the after propeller int-o a vertical plane. The short shaft is then unclutched and the after slide ports G shut down, when a quarter revolution of the propeller shaft will bring the forward blades into the same vertical plane wit-h the after ones, ready to be covered in.

8. The inclosure of the propellers I effect by means of the slide ports G, H, I which descend in guides or ways on each side through trunks J, J which run down from the deck. There is a trap hatch in the bottom of t-he trunks opening inward, and the slide ports G, H, I, are worked up and down in the trunks in any convenient way from the dec-k above. When the slide ports are down, the ns D, D, are inclosed in a water tight well or chamber, from which the contained water is drawn off through a pipe K and conveyed to the pump well thence to be pumped in the ordinary way. When the water is removed from the propeller chamber, men can descend into it to repair unship, or replace the fins or blades at pleasure. Then the ports are down, the sides of the vessel are as smooth and unbroken as those of an ordinary sailing ship.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The sliding ports G, H, l, (of any shape required by the form of hull and propellers), and connected apparatus by which they are operated for covering and uncovering the propellers substantially as specified, in combination With the trunk J and trap hatch P.

2. The pipe F, leading from the propeller 

